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Five-star safety rating for all-new Subaru Forester

The all-new Subaru Forester, due on sale in the UK from summer 2013, has been awarded the highest five-star rating by the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) for its safety performance.

The Forester scored highly in all four areas (Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Pedestrian Protection and Safety Assist) thanks to further advances in Subaru’s unique ring-shaped reinforcement frame body and the extensive use of high-tensile steel.

The Forester was awarded the maximum score for the protection of all body regions in the side barrier test, while its front bumpers scored the highest mark for protection of pedestrian legs. A 91 per cent rating for Child Occupant Protection places it among the safest on the road. Earlier in the year, the Subaru XV also performed particularly strongly in this area, ensuring Subaru now has one of the safest model ranges available in the UK.

Subaru’s unique permanent Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system remains at the heart of the vehicle; paired with Vehicle Dynamics Control, the Japanese brand’s electronic stability control system, this contributed to a high Safety Assist score from Euro NCAP.

The fourth-generation Forester builds upon the outgoing model’s credentials as a user-friendly compact SUV, with improved performance, safety and efficiency and a larger, more practical cabin. A low centre of gravity and improved body rigidity – the result of Subaru’s hallmark Boxer engines and the use of high-tensile steels respectively – contribute to improved refinement and fun-to-drive characteristics.

Haydn Davies, Marketing Director, Subaru UK, commented: “This is a strong result for a model that has consistently been one of our best-sellers, and the all-new Forester’s active, passive and hazard avoidance technologies will make it one of the safest cars on and off the road. That the new model will be more practical, more economical and more refined than its predecessor only adds further to its appeal.”

To find out more about Subaru’s All-Wheel Drive model range, visit subaru.co.uk.